Champagne Bookclub (served blind)--Rob

Rob did the curation. Everything served blind.

• 2018 Marguet Champagne Grand Cru Le Parc

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Tasted blind. March 2023 disgorgement. 100% Chard, no dosage. As a trivia point, this plot abuts the wall of Krug's Clos d'Ambonnay. I've climbed that fence before to take a photo of that plot, and Parc is just to the outside of the wall, lower part of the village. Anyway, second go with the 2018, and in part a few of the same people last time tasted the bottle with me, and this time as with the last the reactions were very similar. The aromas on this are clove, 5-spice, gingerbread and white pepper. These aromatics are strong and present--you can't miss them. The wine also shows a lightly gold hue, indicating something darker than I would guess for the age of the wine. Brassy palate, citrusy sour apple. I know a few people at the table liked the wine, and one guy took the bottle remnants home with him, which is validating that the wine's style may not turn some people off. I too don't mind it but I also don't want to drink much of it because of the wood signature and the way the palate shows.

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• 2018 Domaine Vincey Champagne Grand Cru Auge

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Tasted blind. October 2022 disgorgement, 100% Chardonnay, no dosage. I appreciate Rob putting this into the lineup, as I've got some of the 2019s that I have yet to open. In fact, no one at the table had tried Vincey yet so we all got some good info to ponder. Aromatically this smelled to me like pounded rock with some white floral. My initial notes said 'stainless steel style', indicative of a wine made in a clean, transparent expression. Apple and cherry, tangy strawberry. Fresh, grapefruit-like finish. Retasted again during the meal and the wine fully blooms out. Big amount of sliced green apple, kumquat, ginger. The edges have smoothed out and the wine broadens with a spicy note into the finish. I really enjoyed this and will be eager to start getting my 2019s open.

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• 2016 Benoît Lahaye Champagne Violaine

  France, Champagne

  Tasted blind. My 4th bottle of this to date. 50/50 blend of Pinot Nor and Chardonnay, no dosage. The color here is a little more golden than I remember. Aroma of purple flower. Initially I perceived the wine as what I called 'palate grabbing', with a grippy structure, plus saline. I found some bruised, golden apple. This needed air, and once it received it, this wine was my WOTN. Intensity, what resonated as something grown in limestone, a soil impression that comes through the core of the wine for me. Crushed raspberry, blueberry, and saline, all of it just coats my palate. Such a pure wine, right in my wheelhouse for Champagne. Lahaye continues to strike me as a great winemaker and producer, and with the recent arrivals of the 2018s to my cellar, it's time to do some more exploring. I can see Lahaye joining the short list of producers who I buy across the range and as part of my foundation for great bottles...retasting the following day, the blue fruit signature is very clear, and what also comes through is a lavender note, most notable in the finish. Great texture, juicy, pure. This wine for me didn't need any dosage and it's exactly how it should be. Awesome!

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• NV Guillaume Sergent Champagne Premier Cru Le Chemin des Chappes

  France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

  Tasted blind. Disgorged July 2020. Like the Benoit Lahaye Violaine we had in the same flight, this too is 50/50 Pinot Noir/Chardonnay. I think this had a touch of dosage too, although one critique of the wine is the tiny-ass print font of the labels. In a dinner restaurant with my old eyes, and even with my readers on, I can barely read any of it. Salty note with white pepper. The table mentioned strawberry and I agree with that as an accurate descriptor. I also found some older barrique seasoning the wine. Oranges, red fruits, peach, with excellent complexity. There is a green spice in the finish, what I mentioned to Ramon as cardamom, which is the only thing I could pin the flavor to. Whatever it is, the spice note is terrific. Love the chalky note here and overall, dig the wine. Have some of this in the cellar, and it continues to taste delicious, so like the Lahaye Violaine, this wine can go with that into your cellar should you like this kind of style. Great stuff.

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• 2018 Marguet Champagne Grand Cru Ambonnay Rosé

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Tasted blind. Disgorged February 2023, with rough #s of 80% Chard and the rest Pinot Noir. No dosage. Like the 2018 Le Parc we also had during the meal, this bottle too has the clovey Marguet aromatic. Rose/peach color. Very spicy strawberry, pungent citrus, cinnamon stick, and a texture I enjoyed although it is kinda glossy. Red apple/strawberry hard candy. I liked this but again, there is wood here that comes through the wine so you have to enjoy that style. On par, the wood here works better than it did on the 2018 Le Parc.

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• 2018 Doyard Champagne Grand Cru Œil de Perdrix

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Tasted blind. 3 grams of dosage, didn't get the varietal composition--I think a mix of Chard and Pinot Noir. Plush and juicy, spicy red apple, and the flavors to me felt on the aggressive side. Spicy caramel red apple. I thought this was fine but not so much in my style preference.

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• 2012 Lamiable Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Héliades Brut Millésime

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Tasted blind. 2 grams of dosage. Didn't get the varietal makeup on this--I recall mostly Chard with some Pinot Noir, but might be wrong. Chalky core initially, I wrote in my notes 'can taste the soil'. Seemed like a steely, intense wine. Later with air, overall polished and good balance, with a lot of pear fruit if you let it breathe.

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